dating arch
Determining age of sites and objects by putting them in sequential order but not assigning specific dating
What is relative dating?
Portable objects used, modified, or made by people
What is an artifact?
The idea that each undeformed sedimentary layer is older than the one above it
What is the law of superposition?
Nondestructive geophysical and aerial detection of archaeological sites
What is remote-sensing technology?
An approach used to interpret the time of year a site was occupied
What is seasonality?
Provides specific dates or ranges of dates
What is absolute dating?
Organic objects that are not expressly modified by people for their use
What is an ecofact?
The description or study of observable layers of sediments
What is stratigraphy?
An approach where archaeologists conduct experiments to better understand how past people live
What is experimental archaeology?
This approach focuses on one or a few structures in a settlement
What is household archaeology?
These methods are expensive and can be applied to certain materials
What is absolute dating?
A complex constructed feature
What is a structure?
The study of the shape and changes affecting the natural landscape
What is geomorphology?
A system of artifact classification based on physical attributes or presumed function
What is typology?
Determining the source location of all materials found within a site
What is site catchment analysis?
These methods are generally inexpensive and widely applicable
What is relative dating?
A non portable artifact
What is a feature?
The study of the relationship between the people and the natural environment
What is cultural ecology?
Placing objects in chronological order based on their style or relative frequency
What is seriation?
When archaeologists make interpretations of the archaeological record based on similarities observed in ethnographically described cultures
What is an ethnographic analogy?
Chronological sequencing through the application of the law of superposition
What is stratigraphic dating?
This law requires museums and federal agencies to return certain indigenous belongings and permission before excavating sites
What is NAGPRA?
If a first century coin is found in a stratigraphic layer than the layer must date to the first century or later
What is terminus post quem?
When archaeologists make observations themselves on contemporary people to provide a source for comparison
what is ethnoarchaeology?
Applying consensual frameworks to your interpretations and communicating results are examples of this stage of research
What is making the data meaningful?